What is Media Bias?
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Media bias is the presence of partiality in mass media. Media bias is usually used in a political setting to describe the political position taken by journalists and news outlets. Some news outlets are liberal or conservative, while others are trying to remain neutral (“Media Bias”).
Liberal Media Bias
The group that benefits most from liberal media bias is conservatives. Irritation at this real or perceived bias created the modern conservative movement, and the rise of Rush Limbaugh and Fox News-type media came from this anger. Republican politicians don’t need the general media to get their message out anymore; sometimes, the best thing for these politicians is to earn the scorn of that outlet. One example of this situation is when 60 minutes did a piece on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. They did a negative story on him, but it turned into an unofficial charity donation deal for Gov. DeSantis. He was quoted, “If the corporate press nationally isn't attacking me," he says, "then I'm probably not doing my job.” This example shows that left-wing attacks benefit right-wing causes and vice versa. There aren’t many answers to this problem, but one thing that could help is more skepticism and tough love from outlets inclined to support a politician or political cause because help isn’t always helpful (Goldberg).
"Fake News"
What is fake news? Fake news is false or misleading information presented as legitimate, credible news. Credible journalists have to deal with consumers claiming that things, like an interview with a political leader, are false. Recorded footage is dismissed as fake because viewers didn’t want to believe what they were watching. While plenty of fake news spreads on social media, most news sources share accurate information to the best of their abilities. Though they don’t always share everything, what they share is usually credible. Of course, reporters and journalists have their own political beliefs, but they work hard to keep their personal biases out of the workplace to present the most accurate story they can (Culton).
Fake news is not news that you simply disagree with.
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